Rochester Business Journal Leading source of business news and information in Rochester, N.Y.

We all tend to picture the same person when we think about traditional bankers: dry, straightforward, perhaps lacking a bit in the personality department. That is not what you will find in Chris Humphrey, vice president of commercial banking at ...

Sisters Ashley Biryla and Nicole Branagan always dreamed of opening their own business together, and in 2016 they turned their dream into reality. The two have been at one another’s side since the beginning. Biryla, 33, and Branagan, 35, both graduated from Aquinas Institute and went on to St. Bonaventure University. Biryla obtained her bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2006 and received an MBA from St. Bonaventure in 2007.

Fundraising has been in Kayleigh Rae Stampfler’s blood ever since she was young. Her first philanthropic endeavor involved selling raffle tickets for her local public library’s annual dinner. A volunteer of the library, Stampfler’s late father fostered her long-lasting interest ...

  Working in the family business has its advantages, but sometimes working beside your brother, uncles and father can be burdensome. Dan Thomas had enough when he left his family’s fencing company, New York State Fence Inc., and set out ...

If there is one thing Brenden Griswold can attest to it’s that he earned his rank in the Griswold family business. The Griswolds have been in the telecommunications industry for more than a century. It all began when Griswold’s great-great-grandfather ...

Kailey Bradt was just a girl with an idea and a passion, but it was those two things that helped her product, OWA Haircare, earn first place at the 2017 New York State Business Plan Competition. Bradt was inspired to ...

Amy Ventura has only been in the workforce for six years, but her hard work and dedication have led her to a decade’s worth of accomplishments. Ventura graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 2011 with a major in sociology and a ...

Sometimes saying “yes” to opportunity lands a person more than one dream job during their lifetime. Shelby Hill started out as a journalist working for Fox News Entertainment and E! Entertainment in Los Angeles. Now she is pursuing a career ...

She went from drinking gas station cappuccinos as a teen to talking to growers in Guatemala about their coffee-growing process as a business owner. Renee Colon knows the difference between good and bad coffee. Today she and her husband Tony ...

When Shannon Struzik looks at her career, she often thinks of a quote by the poet Rumi: “Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.” That message has played out in her career path in different ways and ...

One thing is certain: health care is complex. For John Coyle, that is precisely why he continues to work in the industry. “It’s just a fascinating world,” he says. “I definitely want to stay in it career-wise; I see a ...

When it comes to a career, it is helpful for a person to know where they want to go. Jason Streb has not only reached multiple goals for himself but also continues to set them. The focus on improvement and ...

It is one thing to do a Google search and another thing entirely when Google is searching for you. In the case of Ali Ali’s career, Google Inc. tapped the user interface designer to help design the  Google Assistant product—an ...

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What is one way to learn about the ups and downs of owning a business? Be in a punk rock band. Years of gigs and travel and selling products in a band helped Rory Van Grol succeed today as co-owner ...

Fast Start is a biweekly RBJ feature that profiles Rochester area young professionals and entrepreneurs. Want to hear more from the young professionals and entrepreneurs featured on our Fast Start page? Listen to their interviews on #TeamPXY with Carter and ...